USCG Auxiliary (Aberdeen) assists boater in distress

Flotilla 22-7 of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary based in Aberdeen, Maryland is proud to announce Auxiliarist William J.B. Pringle has been awarded the Coast Guard Auxiliary Medal of Operational Merit.

The Medal of Operational Merit is awarded for “Outstanding Operational Performance in Support of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary and its Purposes.” Auxiliarist Pringle was on patrol as a boat crew member of Operational Facility 34934 when they located a boater in distress. The available information on the boater’s location was incomplete, however he was able to use his vast knowledge and keen observations to quickly locate the boat. The boater was dehydrated, disoriented and unable to safely operate his vessel. Auxiliarist Pringle quickly ascertained the situation and provided the boater with replenishments critical to survival.Auxiliarist Pringle expressed heightened concerns that the boater was medically unfit and a significant danger to himself and others. He assisted the boater to buckle his inflatable life preserver and wear it over his jacket. His awareness and decisive actions facilitated germane and continuing radio communications with Sector Command Center who deployed a Coast Guard vessel to intercede and observe the vessel. Auxiliarist Pringle’s diligence, perseverance, and devotion to duty are most heartily commended and are in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Coast Guard and the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary.